Awesome-Sauce

Isn't it amazing how most of my posts are about the same student, be they celebratory or, well...not so celebratory? What can I say, the most challenging things/situations/people in life are often the most rewarding.

So, onto the celebratory post!

He (J) has been in a really good (if slightly silly) mood the last few days. We've all been commenting on it. He's happier than we've ever seen him, he's even showing us his silly side!

This may sound harsh to someone who hasn't worked/lived with a person that is on the severe end of the ASD spectrum but, often it's hard to see their personality under the symptoms. I have often watched a child with ASD and wondered who they are under the ASD. Amazingly, I finally feel like we're getting a glimpse into who he really is under all that surface stuff, and he has a silly side!

A few days ago, he (J), N and I were walking back to the classroom together. J & N were holding hands & I was holding J's other hand. N let go of J's hand and J actually stopped dead in his tracks, looked behind him and reached for N's hand.

I seriously just stood there in the middle of the hallway, staring, for a good 15-20 sec. Until that moment I didn't think J actually realized the other kids in the class even existed on any real level. Honestly, I thought he saw the other kids basically as furnishings in the classroom; just kind "there".

If you have ever interacted with an ASD kid you know what I mean.

They often interact with other people (even those closest to them) as if they were objects. They honestly just use you as an object or tool to get whatever happens to be their objective. I have even had them try to use me as a human ladder, on a regular basis.

So that was pretty exciting.

Next, in our indoor playground, he started pushing the other kids. I know that this is a strange thing to be excited about, but again, it can be a sign that he is actually trying to figure out how to interact with them in a new way. Just the fact that he may have realized he CAN interact with them is amazing!!

This afternoon, though, was the cherry on top. And finally I was not the only one to witness something amazing with J, there were 3 of us freaking out today!

When it's time to clean up & transition to a new activity I ring some bells, the kids put their hands on their heads, & I tell them where to go next.

So J helped me ring the bells (as usual), then he briefly put his hands on his head, walked over to the snack table, sat down and waited!

Here picture me with my mouth gaping open as I, my EA and our SLP stare at J in mute, blind amazement. To rip off a phrase from my best friend, It was pure awesome-sauce.